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WARNING Bad blood at Big Bend Ranch State Park

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fastestoldwheelieguy

fastestoldwheelieguy

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Joined
May 21, 2007
Messages
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Location
Oak Point, Texas
First Name
Jon
Last Name
Pomeroy
I've been riding dirt bikes for more than 55 years. I have never met a police officer who REALLY doesn't like motorcyclists until I met Officer Dotter at Big Bend Ranch State Park. I will follow the TWT rules and not use the language that describes this !@#$%^ so I will let you fill in the blanks. There were 4 of us riding on a first and second gear trail deep inside of Big Bend Ranch State Park when this so called "police officer" literally ran us down on this dirt path with his state provided 4 wheel drive pickup truck, threatened to throw all 4 of us in jail and confiscate all of our bikes for SPEEDING! You have to be kidding me!!! Nope, I'm not. He took all of our drivers licenses from us and made us all follow him to a near by ranger station where he wrote each one of us a ticket for SPEEDING!! It cost each one of us over $250 a piece and he kicked us out of the state park. This was not an isolated incident. Since that crappy day last May, I have talked to other riders who have met Officer Dotter and were also treated very badly. If the city of Presidio wants to have any of the revenue from those of us who ride motorcycles then they ought to talk to the Chief of the Texas State Park Police and tell Officer Dotter to get a job selling condoms since he likes to screw innocent people. We will never go back to Big Bend Ranch State Park. We definitely WILL go back to Big Bend National Park.
 
Yeas ago i had a similar problem with a schertz officer, he did get me for speeding. Ok but his attitude p.m.o!
On advice of a friend who works fo the dept in schertz i sent a letter to the chief of police, and city manager. I did pay the fine, but turns out this runt cop had previous complaints, he was suspended, then later another complaint, and was fired.
 
Curious how speeding could be proven if you were on the trails and in a group of 4 bikes? Sure he didn't get you by radar on the main road before you hit the trails?

Services and attitudes at BBRSP has continued to degrade the last few years.
2014 - dropped food service at the bunkhouse.
2015 - started enforcement of no adult beverages on the bunkhouse porch.
2016 - we lost head Ranger and LEO Barrett. A biker friendly fellow rider who was instrumental in setting up the Dual Sport riding at the park.

Wouldn't be surprised if these tickets are ammo to make a case against motorized vehicles using the trails out there. Even under Barrett there were unfriendly Rangers but he kept them in check.

Do you remember if Dotter had a sidearm? If so he is the LEO there now and more than likely the Head Supervising Ranger. if so we're probably screwed.

_
 
I recall that when I last rode in that Park the speed limit was 25mph...... mile after mile. I know that the group I was with rode faster than 25. We just didn't cross paths with your new friend.
 
The new rangers at Padre Island National Seashore are also extremely hard core on speed limits. Watch out if you are riding out that way.
 
Speeding tickets can be very subjective though so tesults vary greatly. Not on the actual speed but subjective as in officer discretion on whether they get issued.

I recently got clocked on radar at BBNP doing 20 mph over. Verbal warning only after I politely fessed up to my violation and apologized. Last year got clocked 15 mph over at Rocky Mtn NP in CO and got ticketed. That one was a sour pill as I got baited to the speed by the Ranger. Was a twisty road after dark and I was riding maybe 5 mph over. Only saw fast approaching lights from behind and couldn't tell it was a Ranger. So I sped up to keep a space buffer between us acceptable to me. This repeated about 3 times until he finally got me up to a speed he wanted to ticket for. I explained politely but fell on deaf ears.

_
 
SilverBullet said:
That one was a sour pill as I got baited to the speed by the Ranger. Was a twisty road after dark and I was riding maybe 5 mph over. Only saw fast approaching lights from behind and couldn't tell it was a Ranger. So I sped up to keep a space buffer between us acceptable to me. This repeated about 3 times until he finally got me up to a speed he wanted to ticket for. I explained politely but fell on deaf ears.

_
Click to expand...

I think of that risk every time I'm being followed and trying to keep a buffer. Generally the local LEOs in FC are pretty decent guys, but you never know...
 
This what happen to few of us leaving Big Bend Nat. Park on Dual sports heading for Terlingua. The local Sheriff just flash us with color lights,went on his way very cool of him.
This happen this Christmas. Sounds like we were lucky.
 
fastestoldwheelieguy said:
There were 4 of us riding on a first and second gear trail deep inside of Big Bend Ranch State Park when this so called "police officer" literally ran us down on this dirt path with his state provided 4 wheel drive pickup truck, threatened to throw all 4 of us in jail and confiscate all of our bikes for SPEEDING!
Click to expand...

:tab Just curious, but when I was last out there in 2011, there were no actual trails. There was only two track roads, some of which were scarcely better than a trail. As was mentioned, EVERYTHING in the park is 25 mph, which I think is ridiculous. Even 45 mph like many national parks would be FAR more reasonable.

:tab I don't know if you guys were able to ride Fresno Canyon Rd. It is an out and back ride as it dead ends. There are long stretches of it that are DEEP river bed pea gravel and there is no way you can ride it at 25 mph without just flopping all over the place and wearing yourself out in the process. At a minimum, you need to run at least around 40 mph just to get up on top of the gravel so you can control the bike. A little North of 40 mph makes it REALLY fun :trust: That said, when we ran it, I did see a ranger in his 4WD truck outbound on the road as we were heading back. I just happened to be relaxing in the little cave with the hand prints on the ceiling while waiting for the rest of the group.

:tab In most places, it would be hard for a ranger to hide his truck to shoot radar at someone without being seen. Did he get you coming over a hill or something?
 
This is how off road riders are treated in the north east. No place to ride. Ad even when you are street legal. The forest rangers are a bunch of pencil pushing liberals. . I moved to Texas to get away from that..
 
Tourmeister said:
In most places, it would be hard for a ranger to hide his truck to shoot radar at someone without being seen. Did he get you coming over a hill or something?
Click to expand...

That's what I'm wrestling with - along with the eight month wait to discuss it. I'll admit limited experience here, but I've never been on a 4WD trail that I couldn't ride faster on a bike than in a pickup. During the "run down" did the ranger come up from behind or cut off from the side? Did the speeding happen on a graded road and he chased the riders until he finally caught up to them on the two track?

RollingJ and I really had a blast on the entry to the park. Caught a lot of air. I've a buddy who is a TPWD officer who was at Hueco Tanks. I'll ask him if he knows the situation out there.

m
 
The Forest Service don't want to get sued when you crash and get injured or die on their property...because everybody sues everybody in America.
 
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Be glad the officier didnot add extra fines for not having proper equipment (DOT brake light, turn signal, license plate light, etc) on converted dirtbikes.
 
TwoSmokeDS said:
Be glad the officier didnot add extra fines for not having proper equipment (DOT brake light, turn signal, license plate light, etc) on converted dirtbikes.
Click to expand...

I'd like to see the state statutes that require turn signals and DOT approved lights.
 
Perhaps a continued letter writing campaign about Officer Dotter's lack of professionalism will help solve the problem? just sayin
Good luck guys!
 
wanabeguru said:
Perhaps a continued letter writing campaign about Officer Dotter's lack of professionalism will help solve the problem? just sayin
Good luck guys!
Click to expand...

+1

Polite, signed letters to the jurisdiction over Officer Dotter will do tons more than a collective complaint thread on twtex.com.

I Googled his name, and a thread on advrider.com came up with his name.

I don't know officer Dotter from Shinola, but a pattern of letters sent to the right address will see action.

My current sense is "New Badge Syndrome"

Someone with skin in the game should post up the best address to deliver said letters, and those of you with legitimate complaints should get to work vs just venting here.
 
SilverBullet said:
Curious how speeding could be proven if you were on the trails and in a group of 4 bikes? Sure he didn't get you by radar on the main road before you hit the trails?

Services and attitudes at BBRSP has continued to degrade the last few years.
2014 - dropped food service at the bunkhouse.
2015 - started enforcement of no adult beverages on the bunkhouse porch.
2016 - we lost head Ranger and LEO Barrett. A biker friendly fellow rider who was instrumental in setting up the Dual Sport riding at the park.

Wouldn't be surprised if these tickets are ammo to make a case against motorized vehicles using the trails out there. Even under Barrett there were unfriendly Rangers but he kept them in check.

Do you remember if Dotter had a sidearm? If so he is the LEO there now and more than likely the Head Supervising Ranger. if so we're probably screwed.

_
Click to expand...
He definitely had a sidearm. We were in no position to give him any grief especially since he told us that he could put us in JAIL for more than 10MPH over the limit. What's more is that we had stopped and talked for a few minutes at the ranger station trying to decide on which way to go. After we decided, we headed down basically a dirt path even though it was barely dual track with extremely deep ruts. I was bringing up the rear when I heard a siren wooping and screaming behind me. I looked in my rear view mirror even though you can't see much out of it and saw the blinking lights. I moved over and stopped as he literally BOUNCED by in his truck in an effort to run down the leader of our group. We have no clue where he could have REALLY gotten a radar fix on all or ANY of us. Also, how could he get a reading on all 4 of us??? Sorry, it ain't happening. He is a dishonest cop and loves exploiting his power.
 
Sad, my only LEO experience at BBSP was both friendly & professional. I had the XR on the hitch and he came over & asked very politely if I planned to ride the bike in the park since he could see no plate attached.

I told him I had one plate out there somewhere and another on the passenger seat as I'd just come from the Presidio tax office to get a replacement! He laughed, I laughed, we had a good chat & he was on his way.

Shame that Officer Dotter seems to want to reverse these positive relationships.
 
Write letters, lots of em! Also go fight those tickets. Make him show up in court and explain how exactly he clocked all of you. Where is the proof? You have four witnesses to his lying one.
 
I posted about Sgt Dotor over on a thread on Adv Rider. He cited a Texas State game biologist for alcohol consumption in the bunkhouse a year and a half ago when we were there riding. He is a licensed Texas peace officer and came to BBRSP from another park and area. I had an hour long conversation with him lawman to lawman over coffee. He knows the Texas codes and does not practice discretion. I put a good bit about our last trip to the ranch on AdvRider.
 
I find it more difficult to hold the speed limit on the pavement in the BBNP than the slower speeds on the difficult trails in BBSP.

Two ways to handle this - one is a letter of complaint which makes things worse before they get better if and when he leaves. The other is money. Somehow the community needs to see riders as a source of good things and any time we can add a charity run and get it publicized, the better off we will be treated.

Sorry to hear the OP and his group were clipped $250 each, a quick grand taken from a small group.
 
To me it's easier to ride the ranch if you go faster than the speed limit.

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures!
 
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